Nicole Wong, strategic technology advisor, joins WITNESS’ Board of Directors

matisse — Mon, 04 May 2015 18:56:22 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WITNESS Contact:
Matisse Bustos Hawkes
718.783.2000 ext. 306
Matisse@witness.org

MAY 4, 2015, New York, NY – WITNESS today announced that Nicole Wong has joined its Board of Directors. Wong joins a board of strategic philanthropists, technologists, human rights advocates, filmmakers, journalists and business innovators,chaired by the organization’s co-founder, activist and musician Peter Gabriel.

Wong will play an instrumental role in advising WITNESS on the human rights implications of emerging technologies, issues of visual privacy and how visual data can be used for good.

Wong most recently held the position of Deputy Chief Technology Officer for the United States government. She is currently an advisor to several technology companies on privacy issues and strategic development. Prior to joining the Obama administration, Wong held leadership positions at Twitter and Google. During her time at Google, she helped guide the company through critical acquisitions including YouTube in 2006.

“Ordinary people and human rights defenders around the world use digital platforms to tell important stories, ” said Yvette Alberdingk Thijm, executive director. “Nicole’s expertise will help WITNESS explore the ways we can better protect and support the millions who are using these platforms for advancing rights.”

Before joining Google, Wong was a partner at the firm of Perkins Coie and advised some of Silicon Valley’s early and notable tech companies, including Yahoo!, Hotmail, and Netscape. She has also taught and lectured on the First Amendment, Internet law and policy at the University of California at Berkeley, Stanford University, and University of San Francisco. Wong is a founding columnist for the Christian Science Monitor’s Passcode, a section covering online security and privacy in the digital age. She serves as an advisor to the Harvard Business School Digital Initiative, and Chair of the Board of Directors of the Friends of Global Voices.

Note to editors: Nicole Wong is available for select interviews as is WITNESS Program Director Sam Gregory. To request interviews, contact Matisse Bustos-Hawkes at WITNESS matisse@witness.org or 718.783.2000 ext. 306.

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WITNESS is an international nonprofit dedicated to training and supporting people who are using video in their fight for human rights change. For more than 23 years, WITNESS has partnered with frontline defenders, citizen witnesses, and advocates to increase the safety and effectiveness of their use of video and related technology to document abuse. Based in New York, the organization has worked with people in over 97 countries.

Meet the New Faces of the WITNESS Board!

WITNESS — Fri, 01 May 2015 15:56:38 +0000

With citizen-shot footage routinely making headlines these days, the need for WITNESS’ resources and support is greater than ever before. To meet this growing demand, our team is constantly seeking to deepen our knowledge of the human rights, technology, media, and philanthropic landscapes in which we operate — broadening our horizons as we continue to innovate and evolve.

In this spirit, we are excited to announce the addition of four new members who have joined our Board in the past year — bringing with them a wealth of experience on internet governance, technology law, documentary filmmaking, corporate partnerships…and much, much more.

Nicole Wong

Nicole is a long-time WITNESS collaborator, dating back to the Cameras Everywhere report we published in 2011. More recently, she participated in a panel discussion in San Francisco hosted by WITNESS and Neon Labs, which explored how video and technology are impacting citizen journalists and human rights defenders, as well as the impact of video on privacy and human rights. As the former U.S. Deputy Chief Technology Officer for the Obama Administration, and a former high-level executive at both Twitter and Google, Nicole brings a deep knowledge of internet governance, privacy, technology, and law. Her expertise, combined with her strong presence in Silicon Valley, make her a key ally and advisor in our efforts to encourage major technology companies to consider the human rights implications of their work. With Nicole at our side, we look forward to continued successes in the Tech Advocacy realm and beyond!

Jim Salzano

Another long-standing supporter, Jim has been part of the WITNESS family for over a decade. From 1995 – 2013, Jim was president of Clarks Americas, where his commitment to ethical leadership and social good – including increasing employment opportunities for people with disabilities – set him apart. His masterful leadership and teambuilding skills make him an essential asset to the WITNESS Board. We look forward to putting his expertise on marketing and branding to work as we think about how to increase our public presence, and to his help securing strategic partnerships with the corporate sector.

Harvey Anderson

Harvey wasted no time in becoming an integral part of Team WITNESS, joining our Finance and Audit Committee and advising our team on digital security. He is currently the Chief Legal Officer at AVG Technologies, and previously served as SVP – Business and Legal Affairs at Mozilla. Harvey brings expertise in technology, particularly digital and mobile security, as well as experience with nonprofit and Board management. Like Nicole, he is based on the West Coast, and will help to strengthen our presence in Silicon Valley.

Lekha Singh

Like WITNESS, Lekha believes in the power of video storytelling for human rights. Her recent film Beyond Right & Wrong explores how victims and perpetrators of abuse can learn to forgive one another and rebuild their lives; she also co-produced the Academy-Award nominated documentary The Square about the Egyptian Revolution. In the early 2000s, Lekha founded the Aidmatrix Foundation, where she pioneered the use of innovative technology to change the way that aid is delivered both in disaster relief and in day-to-day needs. Given her background as a filmmaker, technology innovator, and human rights advocate, Lekha is a natural fit for the WITNESS Board, and we are excited to leverage her expertise moving forward!